Blog: The Brain Dialogues, filtered by tag: cognitive performance

ZARA PAGE z.page@student.unsw.edu.au & HEIDI DOUGLASS h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Australia is home to one of the most multicultural societies in the world. In fact, older adults from communities with diverse languages, cultural backgrounds and nationalities make up approximately 30% of the Australian population aged 65 years and above but are underrepresented in dementia research. Zara Page, Study Lead and PhD Candidate​​ There are numerous barriers faced by older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in relation to accessing dementia diagnosis and care… Read More

Changing the stereotypical narratives of ageing throughout the lifespan is what motivates Dr Katya Numbers, Coordinator of CHeBA’s Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS). Though we cannot expect an entirely positive experience of ageing, the key is to hold more realistic views so that we can welcome and embrace growing older. Much of Dr Numbers’ work examines the discrepancy between subjective impressions of cognitive decline and objective measures of cognitive performance in older adults.   How did you get into researching the ageing brain? It has been somewhat of a long and strange… Read More

DR KAREN MATHER As we age, there is a decline in cognitive performance but there is great variability in the rate and degree of cognitive ageing observed across older adults.  The domains of information processing speed, episodic memory (autobiographical memory) and executive function (decision making) are most affected.  However, the biological processes driving this age-related cognitive decline are unclear.  A greater understanding of the causes and correlates of cognitive ageing would assist in identifying individuals at risk of cognitive decline and suggest interventions that may… Read More